Will Brazilian footballer Robinho end up serving his sentence in Italy? Contacts have taken place in recent months between the two countries. The transalpine press reported on Tuesday that the Italian Ministry of Justice in turn requested the extradition of the 38-year-old man. Last January, Robinho, the former AC Milan player (2010-2014) who also played for Real Madrid (2005-2008) and Manchester City (2008-2020), was sentenced on appeal, with a friend, to nine years in prison for gang rape.
The charges date back to January 22, 2013 in a Milanese nightclub, where a 23-year-old Albanian was raped by Robinho and his friend. The former Auriverde international (100 caps, 28 goals) would have drunk the young girl until she became unconscious before raping her.
Last February, the Milan public prosecutor’s office issued an international arrest warrant and an extradition request for the Brazilian to serve his sentence in Italy. Returning to his training club in 2020, Santos FC, after a two-year stint in Turkey at Sivasspor then Istanbul Basaksehir, Robinho had been suspended after the confirmation of his conviction by the Milan Court of Appeal.
Prosecutor Adriana Blasco had initially signed this extradition request but Brazil did not accede to Italy’s request. Even if Brazil should not respond favorably to the request insofar as its constitution does not authorize the extradition of its citizens, a response is still awaited. Robinho has not set foot in Italy since the start of this affair. The chances of him serving his sentence there are very low.